Felyn gently patted Dorothy’s head. Her soft, lilac-pink hair was thick and fluffy, just as pleasant to the touch as Viloti’s.
It was clear she had put in effort tonight. She wore a white nightgown, her face lightly made up.
The glitter at the corner of her eyes shimmered under the moonlight, making her look just like a fairytale princess.
Oh right, she was a real princess.
“Brother Felyn, it feels like I haven’t seen you in forever.”
Dorothy rubbed her cheek against Felyn’s chest, standing on tiptoe, trying to get even closer to his gaze.
“Your Highness is always busy with royal duties. If I came too often, I’d feel like I’m bringing ruin to the Empire.”
Dorothy lightly thumped his shoulder with her soft pink fist. “Brother Felyn, didn’t we agree you wouldn’t call me ‘Your Highness’ anymore?”
“Alright, alright. No more ‘Your Highness.’”
Felyn picked her up in his arms. She was light, but her figure was surprisingly well-developed.
“I brought you some manga. Not sure if you’ll like it.”
He set down a whole set of manga volumes—ones he remembered Dorothy mentioning during a past visit. So, he had gone out and bought them for her.
“Wow! Thank you, Brother Felyn! How did you know I wanted this?!”
Hugging him tightly, Dorothy bounced in excitement, her joy bursting out in every move.
“Because I remember everything you say.”
“Brother Felyn, can I start reading it now?”
Felyn nodded and sat down on the carpet, placing Dorothy on his lap.
She smelled nice. Soft and fragrant.
Felyn considered himself a bit of an expert when it came to girls’ scents.
Viloti always carried a faint cherry blossom fragrance, like the first breeze of early spring in the mountains. Zervanie smelled like fresh cucumber—green and crisp, just like sun-drenched grass in midsummer.
Daiyi wore a high-end vetiver perfume. Adeline had the scent of pink roses kissed by morning dew.
And in his arms now, Dorothy smelled like creamy milk mixed with oranges—sweet and delicious.
Felyn wore long pants and a short-sleeved shirt tonight. He could feel the soft fabric of Dorothy’s gown rubbing against his bare arms—and beneath it, the warmth of her tender skin.
He pulled out a hair tie and gently gathered her pink-purple locks into a neat ponytail, pinning her bangs back with a clip.
That was part of Dorothy’s reading ritual.
After over a year of working with her, Felyn had come to understand all of her habits.
With the moonlight streaming in through the open window, Dorothy sat nestled in his lap, her eyes focused on the open manga spread out on the floor.
Felyn had reminded her countless times that reading in dim light would hurt her eyes, but Dorothy’s magic seemed to heal everything on its own.
The room was quiet.
Only the occasional sound of a turning page echoed in the stillness—soft and pleasant.
The window was open, and the early autumn breeze wasn’t too cold. It felt refreshing on his face.
Felyn gently stroked Dorothy’s head as he looked out at the night sky.
Deep in the heart of the castle, in the royal bedchamber of a princess, Felyn had found an unexpected peace.
His contract with Dorothy was simple: to be her friend.
Because of the Demon King’s power within her, she was feared and alienated by her own family.
Felyn was the only one who, after learning the truth, still chose to be near her. The only one who chose to be her friend.
At the time, Felyn thought—poverty was scarier than the Demon King.
Even if his client might be the Demon King’s proxy on Earth, she paid very well.
Among all his clients, Dorothy was the most normal.
She didn’t hit him, didn’t yell, didn’t ignore him.
She invited him over twice a month. Each time, all he had to do was hold this sweet, soft princess and read books or chat a little.
And for that… he earned 100,000 crowns a month.
Easier than lying down to make money.
With a client like this, even if she was the Demon King—or even an evil god—Felyn would still serve her with a smile!
Of course, things hadn’t been this close from the start. It had taken Felyn a long time to earn Dorothy’s trust.
He brought her a new gift every visit. He told a new story each time, sometimes from dusk all the way till dawn.
To better understand her preferences, he had written over 300,000 words of analysis. That was more than he’d written for any other client.
For a princess who longed for a friend but could only find false ones through contracts, Felyn had taken her case to heart.
Of course… “a lot of money and not much work” helped too.
It had taken him six full months just to draw a little closer to her.
In the year that followed, Dorothy slowly became more attached, sometimes even a bit clingy.
Felyn understood he wasn’t just playing the role of a friend. He was making up for the sense of security she had been denied as a child.
Because he knew that, the first time Dorothy asked to be held, he never let go.
Even when his arms ached, even when they went numb, he held her—for the sake of healing that childhood wound.
He worked hard to play the role of a big brother, helping her through her lonely life as a princess.
To Dorothy, she was like a heroine trapped in a tower… and Brother Felyn was the brave knight who had come to rescue her.
“Brother Felyn, I just remembered. I have something for you.”
Dorothy opened her eyes. Under the moonlight, her violet gaze still held the purity of youth, but there was a subtle, growing maturity as well.
She walked to her vanity and pulled out a small box.
“You have something for me?”
“Mhm!”
Dorothy smiled sweetly, lowering her head as she peeked up at him with anticipation.
Felyn took the box and opened it.
“…Cookies?”
Inside the bag were homemade cookies.
“For me?” he asked, pleasantly surprised.
“Mhm! I baked them myself just for Brother Felyn tonight!”
Under her expectant gaze, Felyn took one and popped it into his mouth.
Surprisingly… delicious.
“These are amazing! You could be the Cookie Princess from now on.”
“I thought Brother Felyn must get really tired coming to see me so late. So I wanted to give you something.”
Looking at her innocent, angelic smile, something long-dormant in Felyn’s heart stirred.
An angel.
To think a client like this even existed—this had to be a blessing from his previous life!
Dorothy snuggled back into his lap, lifting another cookie to his mouth.
All Felyn had to do now was open up. Dorothy even wiped his mouth gently with her personal handkerchief.
To Felyn, it all felt like a pretend game—like Dorothy was playing house, enjoying taking care of others.
Except she was paying to do it.
How did he get this lucky? Maybe he should let her slap him once or twice to ease the guilt.
What he didn’t notice was that Dorothy sneakily swiped a crumb from his lips with her pinky and popped it into her mouth while he wasn’t looking.
Nor did he notice the deepening violet in her eyes.
If he had glanced down at that moment, he might have seen that her eyes now glowed with the exact hue of the Empire’s highest-grade magic crystals—those said to come from the Demon King himself.
It was said that the Demon King’s eyes were purple.
Who could say what emotions lay behind that deep, glowing violet?
“Brother Felyn, I met Lady Zervanie today.”
“Oh? What did you think of her?”
“She was just as beautiful as her posters. Her smile felt really healing.”
Felyn stroked her head again, unable to stop his hand from lingering on that soft hair.
“Zervanie’s like that. You two would probably get along.”
After all, Zervanie would never show anyone her true self. In front of Dorothy, she’d be perfectly flawless.
“Do you think Lady Zervanie would like me?” Dorothy turned around in his lap, facing him now, her cheek pressed against his chest.
“You’re calling her Lady Zervanie now? You’re a princess, remember?” Felyn chuckled.
“Being a princess is kind of annoying…” Dorothy muttered. “But I don’t hate being me now. Because only by being a princess can I… can I…”
“…Can I be with Brother Felyn forever.”
“…Can I stay in Brother Felyn’s arms forever.”
Her breathing slowed. Felyn could feel her eyelids flutter once… then again… and then close completely.
Looks like work’s done for tonight.
He gently lifted Dorothy and placed her on the bed, tucking the blanket over her.
His contract ended at six in the morning.
Until then, he figured he’d sleep quietly in the corner.
As he passed the vanity, something caught his eye—his name.
He paused.
It was a report. A divine affinity assessment.
And at the bottom, in bold letters: Felyn – Affinity Score: -1.
What…?
Felyn’s mind went blank for a moment.
Why did Dorothy have this report? She already knew he’d come to the capital?
Then… Why hadn’t she said anything?
Suddenly, a purple glow—dark and chaotic—spread across the wall like grasping tendrils, swallowing the shadow of Felyn’s reflection.
A cloying, sickly-sweet scent thickened the air.
Felyn’s heart skipped a beat.
Dorothy was sitting up in bed.
Her shoulder strap had slipped down, revealing a snow-white shoulder.
Her eyes gleamed with an emotion Felyn had never seen before. She bit her lip and smiled at him.
“Brother Felyn… You found out, huh?”
She lifted the blanket and swung her pale leg down, tracing a slow, enticing arc before her foot touched the floor.
“D-Dorothy? I thought you were asleep…”
Felyn’s voice faltered.
“Brother Felyn, I’ve been waiting all night for you to explain yourself.”
(End of Chapter)